Roger Federer — The Beauty of Tennis Series

Therefore, you hold me, body and soul, in your hold,And time, as you dance, is not, and the world is as nought. — Arthur Symons

When anyone talks about Roger Federer’s tennis, there usually has to be some reference to ballet. Or dance in general. Or any kind of art, really, like when commentator Robbie Koenig describes Fed’s down-the-line shot as “an oil painting of a backhand.” Much reverence is shown for that backhand, in fact, and we here at TennisInsideOut.com have shown you our favorite Federer backhand photo, and a side-by-side comparison with Grigor Dimitrov’s Fed-inspired backhand.

If we look beyond that glorious, full-flight backhand follow-through, there is still much beauty to be found in the Swiss maestro’s tennis. His every movement, in fact, has a certain grace to it, whether it’s arching deeply for a serve or doing something as simple as sauntering back to his chair for a water break. There’s even an elegance to his posture when he’s perfectly still.

We wanted to share some of those mesmerizing moments for this installment of the Beauty of Tennis Series, and since the photos were taken at a crowded practice session at the Cincinnati Masters, there’s a definite nod to the Grand Slam champion’s celebrity status.

ETA: Going through our collection of photos from the 2013 Cincy tournament, we found some more interesting shots from a second Federer practice session. We’ve added some new views of the Maestro’s tennis, including that uber famous backhand. Then there are further glimpses of what it’s like to have your every move, gesture, or word with your coach scrutinized by a throng of often swooning admirers. We hope you enjoy these new additions — plus all of our playing around with contrasts and perspectives.

While these photos are best viewed on a larger screen, we have updated our galleries to enhance the mobile experience. Please ↓scroll down↓ to get to the slideshow.

Click on any pic to start the SLIDESHOW. Let us know which shot is your favorite!